One team that can seriously change its perception this year has to be the Denver Broncos. After winning Super Bowl 50, the Broncos haven’t sniffed the postseason. It has taken them a while to find a starting quarterback they can trust since Peyton Manning retired. However, they may have found their guy in second-year pro Drew Lock. If he hits, the Denver could be really, really good.
Of course, the Broncos play in the same AFC West as the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. This division also features two quality teams in the Las Vegas Raiders and the Los Angeles Chargers. Since iron sharpens iron, we should expect this division to get at least two teams into the AFC playoffs. So why not the Broncos this year?
The defense should be fantastic under second-year head coach Vic Fangio. This team should be able to run the ball down everyone’s throat with Melvin Gordon joining Phillip Lindsay in the Denver backfield. As long as the offensive line doesn’t resemble a wet paper bag, the Broncos can win double-digit games next fall and contend with the Chiefs in the deep AFC West.
The reason the Broncos edge out a team like the Chicago Bears, Fangio’s former employer, is we don’t know what Lock can become. Nick Foles’ ceiling is definite. That’s not to say Lock will become a top-10 quarterback in the league, but he’s not capped out at top-24 like Foles is. Should Lock play like he did at times last year and while he was at Mizzou, Denver could surprise us all.